Unit package dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for unit dose medication in sealed plastic packages comprises a container and lid providing a storage chamber and an access chamber, the lid terminating short of the front end wall of the container and having a depending flange spaced from the bottom of the container whereby when the container is supported in a downwardly-inclined position the flange will engage the lowermost light plastic package which slides forwardly above the flange and keeps the packages above from falling forward.

United States Patent Morrison July 17, 1973 [5 UNIT PACKAGE DISPENSER 3,581,906 6/1971 Joyce 220/22 3 64 9 1 6 22 1 B [75] Inventor: Robert B. Morrison, North 8 H9 5 Repko 9/ 7 M k M h. us egon 16 Primary ExaminerR0bert B. Reeves 1 Assign: sheldn and P y Assistant ExuminerTh0mas E. Kocovsky Muskegon, Mlch- Attorney-Dawson, Tilton, Fallon & Lungmus [22] Filed: June 28, 1971 211 App]. No.: 157,346 [571 ABSTRACT A dispenser for unit dose medication in sealed plastic 521 US. Cl. 221/303 206/56 AC 229/17 B Packages mPriSes a and Pmviding a 51 Int. Cl .1 B 65d 83/10 Wage Chamber mess dumber the term [58] Field of Search 206/42 4412 56 nating short of the front end wall of the container and 220/22. 221/303 3l2 2219/17 having a depending flange spaced from the bottom of 60 the container whereby when the container is supported in a downwardly-inclined position the flange will en- [56] References Cited gage the iowermost light plastic package which slides UNITED STATES PATENTS forwardly above the flange and keeps the packages above from falling forward. 1,284,597 11/1918 Clinchy 221/306 X 2,813,653 11/1957 Grossman 220/41 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 3,746,218 I INVENTUR Robert B. Morrison y @auxaamczlww, zalfiyw and) 5 W ATTORNEYS UNIT PACKAGE DISPENSER BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY A problem is presented in the dispensing of unit dose medication which is put up in small sealed plastic packages. The specific package may contain one, two or three tablets of aspirin or other medication in a clear plastic package and with a very small label attached. Such packages weigh almost nothing, and the problem presented is containing them within a tray so that they do not float away druing the dispensing operation. The packages usually are about one inch square and have chambers sealed within transparent packages and containing the medicinal doses or tablets.

I have discovered that a container can be provided with a baffle on the cover which will keep the light plastic packages from falling forward. The engagement of the baffle with a lowermost package supports the packages above the baffle or flange and the lowermost package can be released without causing the packages thereabove to fall forward.

DRAWING In the accompanying drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the completely assembled dispenser with one partition located in the center of the container; and

FIG. 2, an exploded perspective view of the container, one partition, and the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the dispenser structure illustrated, I have provided a container and a lid, both preferably formed of plastic such as polyethylene, propylene, or any suitable plastic, the container being cut away at the forward end to provide access at the front end of the container, and the lid also being cutaway near its forward end over the access chamber. The lid has side walls enclosing the rear and side walls of the container, and at its front the lid is provided with a depending lip or flange which extends toward but is spaced from the container bottom. The spacing is such as to leave room for movement of the packages below the flange, but the projection is enough to cause the lowermost of the stacked packages, when the container is supported in inclined package-feeding position, to engage the lowermost of the packages and thus hold the packages thereabove in orderly stacked relation. To remove a "package, one reaches into the access chamber near the front wall of the container and presses the lowermost package toward the bottom so that it is released and falls into ones grasp or into the access chamber.

Referring to the drawing, the plastic dispenser has a box-like plastic body 11, one or more plastic partitions 12, and a plastic cover or lid 13.

The container 1] is partially cut away at the front upper comer 14 to allow ready access to the lower chamber of the box. The box or container has a reinforcing lip 15 on all three sides, With a much wider lip 16 projecting downwardly and outwardly at the front so as to serve as a handle for pulling the dispenser forward when a group of them are placed on a series of shelves at an inclination in a cabinet (not shown).

The dispenser 11 may be designed for one, two or more rows of packaged medicine doses, etc. so that it has two or three or more grooves to receive one or two or more partitions 12. To divide the container into equal compartments, one partition 12 would be placed in the center set of grooves 17, while to divide the container into three equally wide compartments, two partitions may be used, one in each of the outer sets of grooves 18 and 19.

The partition 12 may be of any suitable structure. I prefer to employ a reinforced strip of flat plastic which is cut away at 20 to fit under the specially designed cover 13. The partition may have a reinforcing rib 21 along its entire top side and an offset reinforcement 22 along its length, about midway up, to withstand the force exerted against it when one compartment is full and the other is empty. The offset reinforcement 22 may be sawtooth shaped.

The cover or lid 13 is shorter than the container ll, terminating rearwardly of the front of the container to provide an access chamber at the front of the container. Thus there is provided a recess at the front 24 to allow ample room to reach into the dispenser for a package of medicine. At the end of the recess, there is a depending flange or lip 25 which acts as a reinforcement for the cover and also as a stop to hold the stacked row of packages above the lowermost package engaging the flange. Thus there is utilized the tendency of the packages to slide forwardly when the container is supported in an inclined feed position in that the flange engages the lowermost package, and this package serves to retain the above packages in stacked relation.

The cover or lid is provided with an offset flange 26 on all three sides and at its lower extremity so as to grip the lip 15 of the box 11.

While in the foregoing specification I have set out a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for individual light plastic packages containing medicine dosage units, comprising: a container formed of plastic and having bottom, side and end walls with the front end wall partially cut away to provide an opening to an access chamber at the front of the container, said container being further provided with aligned divider slots in its front and rear walls and being adapted to be supported at an inclination with its front end lower than its rear end for feeding sack unit packages toward said access chamber under gravity, said container having its front wall provided with a wide downwardly and forwardly projecting lip providing a handle for the container; a lid removably received on said container having side walls and a rear wall each provided with a flange for telescopically engaging the upper edges of the rear and side walls of said container, said lid further having a top formed integrally with said side walls and said rear walls thereof and terminating short of said front end wall of said container when said lid is assembled to said container, said lid further having at its front a flange depending from the top of said lid and spaced from said container bottom to allow movement of packages therealong and into said access chamber, said flange engaging and temporarily restraining the lowermost package which is urged forwardly under said inclination, said flange cooperating with said container and said lid to maintain all of the packages above said flange from falling forwardly into said access chamber; and a divider partition removably received in said slots, said partition having its front portion cut away at the top to provide a ledge engaging said flange of said lid. 

1. A dispenser for individual light plastic packages containing medicine dosage units, comprising: a container formed of plastic and having bottom, side and end walls with the front end wall partially cut away to provide an opening to an access chamber at the front of the container, said container being further provided with aligned divider slots in its front and rear walls and being adapted to be supported at an inclination with its front end lower than its rear end for feeding sack unit packages toward said access chamber under gravity, said container having its front wall provided with a wide downwardly and forwardly projecting lip providing a handle for the container; a lid removably received on said container having side walls and a rear wall each provided with a flange for telescopically engaging the upper edges of the rear and side walls of said container, said lid further having a top formed integrally with said side walls and said rear walls thereof and terminating short of said front end wall of said container when said lid is assembled to said container, said lid further having at its front a flange depending from the top of said lid and spaced from said container bottom to allow movement of packages therealong and into said access chamber, said flange engaging and temporarily restraining the lowermost package which is urged forwardly under said inclination, said flange cooperating with said container and said lid to maintain all of the packages above said flange from falling forwardly into said access chamber; and a divider partition removably received in said slots, said partition having its front portion cut away at the top to provide a ledge engaging said flange of said lid. 